Candidates Line Up for LA City Council District 4 Elections
Veres hopes to put experience to work
By Aaron Blevins, 11/28/2013 Park La Brea New/Beverly Press
What began as an effort to make his neighborhood a better place to live has led to a Council District 4 campaign for Steve Veres, who is striving to succeed Councilman Tom LaBonge when his term ends in 2015.
For several years, Veres has taken pride in being involved in his community, and he paraphrased a famous quote when discussing his reasoning: “If you don’t get involved in politics, politics will get involved with you.”
“It’s the best way to make your neighborhood better,” he said.
Veres, a Los Angeles native and Sherman Oaks resident, currently sits on the Los Angeles Community College (LACC) Board of Trustees and works as a district director for Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes some Council District 4 neighborhoods as a result of redistricting. For de León, Veres handles budget issues, legislative proposals and constituent services.
After attending Los Angeles Unified School District schools, he enrolled at UCLA, where he began coursework to become a history professor. However, Veres said his plans “took a left turn,” and he began working in Sacramento, consulting on legislative issues.
He lived in the northern part of the San Fernando Valley in the early 2000s, and “did a brief stint” on the San Fernando City Council. In 2011, Veres was elected to the LACC board of trustees and served as president in 2012. He said his elected positions stemmed from a desire to make a difference in his neighborhood.
“You kind of stumble into taking these kinds of positions sometimes,” Veres added.
He said that given his experience, he will not spend his first days in office trying to figure out how to make an impact, if elected. Veres said he wants to protect neighborhoods, improve incentives for filming in Los Angeles and alleviate traffic congestion, among other things.
He said people in his neighborhood are very concerned about some development proposals, and he has noticed that many community plans have not been updated for years.
“You go back to certain neighborhoods and there’s a certain lack of planning infrastructure,” Veres said. “What should our neighborhoods look like as we transition into the future of L.A.? It’s that kind of dialogue and that kind of interaction that motivates me.”
While many neighborhoods are great the way they are, they could also use “value” that adds to the quality of life for residents in those communities, he said. However, officials must be vigilant in ensuring that developers are complying with the plans in place, Veres said.
“I think the best we can do is learn what these projects will do, and how that affects the plan and how that affects the neighborhood,” he added.
Veres said technology is great way to disseminate information, and he would make an extra effort to notify residents about projects and encourage communication.
“Good development, if it’s successful, will bring more development with it,” he said. “You need to have a good person steering the ship if you’re going to do more.”
Though the development is in Council District 13, the Millennium project could have impacts on Council District 4. Veres said the project “raised some alarms” for him.
“If I was there [at the beginning], I think the project would be different,” he added. “Instead of having a fight at the end … you should begin the process early. …It’s better to do that on the front end, as opposed to the back end.”
In terms of keeping production in Los Angeles, he said the entertainment industry is very important for the communities in Council District 4.
“The city shouldn’t just rely on a state credit to ensure that entertainment and creative jobs stay put,” Veres said, adding that leaders need to demonstrate that they’re willing to be creative and produce the kind of environment that keeps those jobs local.
He frequently travels from Sherman Oaks to Echo Park, and said the “intensity” of what land use has done to neighborhoods is evident.
“I think the city of Los Angeles and certainly the councilman need to be aggressive in dealing with congestion management,” Veres said, referencing the Purple Line Extension project and the careful planning that it will require. He said Council District 4 has some of the all-time classic Los Angeles neighborhoods. “What you don’t want to see is it collapse. You’ve got to show some leadership. …This council district and the councilman are going to be responsible for a lot of decisions along that Wilshire Corridor.”
Veres said leadership comes out when no easy answer exists, and the difficult part is how a particular entity finds solutions. He said he had a series of goals when he joined the board of trustees in 2011, but his first year on the board was overwhelmed by concerns that there may be corruption in the community college’s building program.
“Sometimes in leadership positions, you have your agenda,” Veres said, “but when you encounter crises that flow to the top of the agenda, how do you react? In my life, I’ve had a chance to do that.”
He also hopes to add more green space to Los Angeles. Veres mentioned the revitalization of the Los Angeles River — an issue that he’s worked on in the senator’s office — and Griffith Park. He said both could become better assets if the planning is done alongside members of the community.
“There’s some really amazing things that we could accomplish together,” Veres added.
He said he values himself as a “straight-shooter” who likes to be well-prepared when embarking on various projects. Veres said he is also a good listener who often fills the role of collaborator. The Sherman Oaks resident said he would fight for what he believes in and the people he represents.
“I would be excited [if elected] and take this as a wonderful opportunity to make a quality impact,” Veres said. “I think for me, for my family, for my neighbors and the residents of Los Angeles in general, this district is one of the most exciting places in the city.”
